Massive midseason trades within Major League Soccer are rare and difficult to pull off. It’s almost always easier to bring someone in from somewhere else in the world. But D.C. United radically changed on Monday when it picked up Dwayne De Rosario from New York in exchange for Dax McCarty, while also trading for defender Brandon McDonald. Here’s how D.C. has been altered:
» The offense is no longer starved in the middle. Without a central playmaker, United had been predictable and over reliant on generating scoring opportunities from the wings via Chris Pontius and Andy Najar. Not anymore.
“He can beat you off the dribble,” United midfielder Clyde Simms said. “[De Rosario] has another dimension. Where most No. 10s do it with a spectacular pass, he can do both, which is very lethal.”
» The heir apparent at defensive midfield becomes rookie Perry Kitchen. McCarty failed to establish himself, and with Simms, Stephen King and Kurt Morsink, D.C. still has plenty of options. But with McDonald on board to shore up the back line, Kitchen could move forward.
» The time for rebuilding is over. Up and down results through the first half of the season were attributed to United’s young roster. But De Rosario is 33, and he’s spent most of his MLS career doing nothing but winning. United acquired him to do the same in Washington.
“We have built the foundation with youth, but we want to win now,” United general manager Dave Kasper said. “Before these two moves, this group was very close. This will make us stronger.”
